Cultural Differences in International Tourists’ Perceived Safety in China

ABSTRACT

To improve inbound tourism in China, differences in international tourists’ perceived safety must be analyzed. Thus, this study attempts to investigate and categorize international tourists’ perceived safety and then evaluate the resulting differences. Findings reveal distinctions in demographic attributes based on safety incidents, attitudes of local service staff and residents toward tourists, safety information, and media coverage of safety incidents. Safety satisfaction, specific safety concerns, and broad safety concerns were classified on the basis of Plog’s psychological theory and tourists’ perceived safety. Significant differences in tourist nationalities were also identified and assessed using Hofstede’s index of uncertainty avoidance.

摘要

为了改善中国的入境旅游, 分析国际游客安全感知的差异势在必行。因此, 本研究试图对国际游客的安全感知展开调查和分类, 并进行差异评估。研究结果显示:国际游客的安全感知在安全事件, 当地服务人员和居民对游客的态度, 安全信息和安全事件的媒体报道方面存在较大的人口统计属性差异。根据普洛格的心理理论和游客安全感知的调查结果, 研究将国际游客的安全感知分为三类:安全满意, 特定的安全担忧和广泛的安全担忧。此外, 本研究使用霍夫斯塔德的不确定性避免指数对不同类型国际游客的国籍进行评估, 并发现显著的国籍差异。

KEYWORDS:

• International tourist
• perceived safety
• safety satisfaction
• specific safety concerns
• broad safety concerns

关键词:

• 国际游客
• 安全感知
• 安全满意
• 特定的安全担忧
• 广泛的安全担忧

Conflict of interest statement

This study declares no conflict of interest.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences [19CGL032].

Notes on contributors

Yongguang Zou

Yongguang Zou is Professor in School of Tourism Management at Huaqiao University, Fujian, China. His general research interests are tourists’ sense of safety of destinations, tourism safety public governance in destinations, museum and tourism, and cultural tourism (E-mail: [email protected]).